A Tale of Two Curses
by Animic
Summary: The Tsukino Family holds a terrible secret…they inhabit the spirits of the Greek Zodiac. What will happen when the Year of the Ox and the Taurus cross paths and set in motion a plague that begins to spread through both families? - Many different pairings. Adheres to canon (with some detours)
1. Stubborn as a Bull

_Authors Note: _

This story is a re-make of Cursed Constellations and will introduce 14 new characters to the group. They will be based off of the Greek/Western Zodiac. Please know I have done a lot of research into making these characters as close to western astrology as I can, as well as incorporating the original mythology tales, with some additions of my own. They will not be perfectly accurate. But I hope they will be close.

I lost most of my notes from my notes from the previous story; however, I consider this one new and improved. And drastically different with a few, small exceptions. Please enjoy~

* * *

Prelude: The Omen

It started as a shadow of a moment. A raven sitting on the branch of a tree outside his deskside window at the same time, at the same place, every day. Like clockwork - An omen. The occurrence meant nothing to Hatori until Momiji pointed it out to him one day.

"Look, Hari-san, there's a raven by your window!" Momiji said, ecstatic. Then, he started to notice the raven more and more frequently. Hatori had never been one prone to superstition; however, they do live with a mythological curse so it seemed naïve and rather selfish to believe there weren't other mysterious existences out there in the universe.

But he never expected something quite like this…

"The rest cannot know, Hatori," Akito told him sternly. "It would cause a panic."

There were many topics Hatori and Akito did not see eye-to-eye on, but on this, they agreed. For the past several months, Hatori had begun an investigation based on nothing but a feeling. A feeling that turned out to be accurate. At first, Akito was extremely hostile to the thought of Hatori even researching the phenomenon. That the idea was ludicrous. But even Akito couldn't ignore the nightmares of ravens surrounding him until he went mad.

It seemed this town wasn't big enough for two curses.

* * *

Chapter One: Stubborn as a Bull

Miyako awoke to fire blazing against her bedside. She heard her younger sister screaming in the corner of her room. Help me, One-san, Help me! Sweat dripped down her forehead as she coughed through the smoke and made her way down to the floor, trying to find her sister through the thick, black fog.

What might have been minutes later, Miyako awoke again. Her breathing had drastically accelerated and, not unlike the dream, sweat was dripping down her forehead like a faucet. After taking a moment and looking around, Miya anxiously sighed. What a surprise. She awoke to her regular room that was not on fire. It was all just a dream…it was _always_ just a dream.

Five years ago, Miyako's parents perished in a terrible fire and, ever since, Miya has had various forms of PTSD ever since it happened. Miyako and her younger sister, Chiyo, were in the house the night it went down in flames. And while, strictly speaking, the fire had never physically harmed either of them, it haunted Miyako in a different way.

Because ever since…her entire family suspected she set the fire on purpose.

"Good morning, Miya-san," a voice said, greeting her. Miya rolled her eyes. Since she's not 18 yet, she and Chiyo lived with an attendant at the family estate. It was such a slap in the face. Miya would do just fine caring for her sister – but no one ever listens.

"Is it?" she asked, rather sarcastically. Today was her first day of school so she was only slightly on edge. Up until today, she had been begrudgingly homeschooled by the attendants here; however, the head of the family approached her months ago and said that enough was enough.

"We've simply run out of teachers that are willing to tolerate you, Miya-kun," he told her. It wasn't untrue. Being cursed with the Greek Zodiac came with more than a few downsides. As children, the Taurus were known to throw many tantrums over nothing. They grow out of it, of course, as Miya now had…but just like a bull, that temper lies hidden under the surface. And you don't want to be there when it awakens.

They were all stereotypes, of course. Not every Zodiac member completely mimicked their constellation counterpart. Still. Many of them couldn't ignore a lot of the major similarities. The Zodiac clan were not meant to be underestimated; not any of them.

Miyako could not get the feeling out of her head, though, that the head of the family had some ulterior motive for allowing her to attend school. He usually kept her so close by…

She sat at the table of her house on edge, thinking profusely on what it could be. Her attendant, Himari, was in the kitchen, finishing breakfast, and eventually brought three plates to the table. One for Miya, one for herself, and then one for Chiyo who had yet to awaken. Miya stared at the breakfast before her with a frown on her face.

"It's going to go cold if you don't eat it," Himari said plainly. Miya rolled her eyes, glancing down at her bowl of rice, two hard-boiled eggs, and a banana. Strictly speaking, her favorite, but even food couldn't overpower her distaste for today's eventual happenings.

"I'm not hungry," Miya said lowly, pushing the bowl aside. Himari sighed, agitated.

"Fine," Himari spat back and began to eat her own plate. Honestly, Himari and Miya usually got along and Himari had grown accustomed to Miya's stoic and stubborn temperament. Let's just say, she knew what she had signed on for when she agreed to be the guardian of both the Taurus _and_ the Gemini.

Speaking of.

"Nee-san, you're still here!" They both turned and saw little Chiyo hugging her stuffed animal cow and making her way to the table next to both of them. Say what you will about the Gemini, but they were very loving towards those they were attached to. And the two sisters of the Zodiac were extremely fond of one another. It was the one trait that made it tolerable for Himari to live with the two of them. There was strange, genuine love there.

Unsurprisingly, a smile actually came across Miyako's face as soon as Chiyo came to sit down and Himari couldn't help but grin.

"Wouldn't miss your first day of Junior High School, Imouto," Miya said. Chiyo beamed. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," she admitted as she began to pick at her rice. Chiyo was usually anxious about something or another but she genuinely enjoyed going to school and learning which rather took priority over her social anxiety.

"Himari-san said there will be a library at the school," Chiyo said rather excitedly. "I'm going to check out a book on astrology before I leave today."

Miya shook her head in amusement. As a child, Miya wanted nothing less than to know as little as she could about the Greek zodiac stories. Wanted to distance herself from it as much as possible…and she certainly wouldn't have been caught dead in a library.

"You're a funny kid," Miya grinned. She grabbed her banana and then ruffled the hair on Chiyo's head, which made them both smile. With a long sigh, she grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. It was now or never.

It was decided Himari would take Chiyo to her school and Miya would make her own way to the co-ed academy she had been enrolled in. At least with the walk, she could try and retain her calm before she was drugged through a day of boredom and agitation. In the back of her head, she was worried. It had been a while since she had been around anyone that wasn't a member of the Tsukino clan. Let alone men that would risk her transforming. And she could feel her agitation growing. What if the bull was released? What if she transformed?

Miyako shook her head trying to rid herself of those thoughts. As long as she kept her head down low, what's the worst that could happen?

* * *

Major characters introduced:

Miyako, the Taurus;  
Chiyo, the Gemini

_Next chapter you will meet Ryuu, the Scorpio. _


	2. The Scorpion's Sting

_Author's Note: _

This will be the last chapter that mirrors, in order, one of the original Cursed Constellations chapters. Ideally, it will go in a different direction with different plot and characters (with small similarities here and there). You're more than welcome to read Cursed Constellations but, rest assured, it will remain an unfinished story.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter Two: The Scorpion's Sting

The door was open. Hatsuharu Soma watched the Dragon of the Zodiac pacing back and forth in his office, not even realizing the Ox was standing before him. Truthfully, Hatori always seemed rather bothered by something or another but this seemed different. He sounded rather serious on the phone when he had asked to speak to him earlier.

Hatsuharu was rather perplexed as rarely did the two of them speak very often. Sure, they lived in the same general area and their paths did cross from time to time. But rarely did Hatori go out of his way to send for him.

To be polite, Hatsuharu knocked and Hatori stopped pacing. The two stared at each other strangely.

"Come in," Hatori said in a low voice. Haru's brow furrowed as he entered, closing the door slowly behind him. Almost immediately, Hatori went to sit at his desk and gestured for the Ox to sit across from him. There were papers spread all across Hatori's desk that seemed to have nothing to do with medicine, which was his main practice. Strange.

There was a beat of silence as Hatori placed some of his papers into piles. His left eye remained hidden behind the patch of hair he always kept to the side. To hide the true look of his face. Possibly symbolically to hide his past and distance himself from others. But Hatsuharu never dared point that out.

"First day of school?" Hatori finally said, breaking the ice. His eyes, or rather, his eye, seemed stressed. Like he had been up all night - but doing what? Hatsuharu nodded, feeling uncomfortable, and his gaze shifted to the window to his left.

There was a raven perched on a tree and Haru studied it, rather interested. It was strangely peaceful.

"Let me cut to the point," Hatori interjected, staring at him head on as he drew his attention away from the raven. "Please understand that what I'm about to tell you is extremely confidential. Akito-san has given permission for me to tell you and you alone. If I find that any of the others have learned of this…well, rest assured, Akito-san will ask for you personally."

"O-okay?" Haru said, confused. And slightly on edge. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I'm doing research on a particular family and I have it on rather high authority that some of the members may attend your new school. Their surname is Tsukino." There was a beat of silence as Hatori looked outside at the raven seated upon the tree.

"What's so special about them?" Haru asked.

"Irrelevant," Hatori affirmed quickly. Haru felt his temper raise but Hatori continued on his request. "I need as much information as you can give me on this family." Haru's brow furrowed.

"You want me to spy on them?" Haru asked, his voice sounding disgusted. What did Hatori think he was - some kind of rat? He mentally slapped himself for bringing Yuki into this, but this wasn't something he could stoop to.

"Forget it," Haru affirmed.

Haru stood up to leave but Hatori didn't budge. His eyes pierced Haru darkly but didn't push the matter any further. He realized it was a rather odd request to make of a person, let alone a child. Hatori supposed he would simply have to get confirmation some other way. If he needed to, he'd even resort to seeking Shigure's help. Many could be said about the Dog but he did have a way for finding information.

"If you change your mind, come find me," Hatori told him, calmly.

Hatsuharu was gone in an instant and Hatori went back to his desk. He stared at a notebook riddled with notes he had taken after visiting different websites, libraries, and, regrettably, psychics. Truthfully, psychics had always set him on edge – but desperate times called for desperate measures. Besides, Akito insisted. He needed confirmation and closure to set his mind at ease.

Hatori still wasn't sure what made him so uneasy on the matter. He didn't agree to involving Haru, but it was another of Akito's orders. Granted, Hatsuharu was among the most level-headed of the zodiacs – and that even included the adults. Even with his volatile tendencies. Still.

He had researched as much as he could on the western astrology to see if such a curse had ever been mentioned in any sort of literature. If the Gods had ever imposed their wrath on the humans they had created, there might be record of it. And it wouldn't be the first time. Hatori longed to meet a member of the family face to face; possibly even a female just to see if both curses would hold up. However, that would be way too risky. Not only did he risk transforming but who knows of the repercussions that would spawn after the two curses merged. Maybe nothing. Maybe something worse.

For now, he supposed it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. The raven suggested he would find out sooner rather than later, anyway.

* * *

Miyako arrived to class late. What do you expect? She'd never been to a real school before and the hallways were confusing. Once she arrived, every single student in the room looked up at her and Miya found herself slightly irritated already.

"You must be Tsukino-san," the teacher greeted with a soft smile. Miya felt a pulsing vain in her forehead throb.

"Yes," she replied forcefully.

"Have a seat," the teacher said. "I won't be docking for attendance today as you all adjust to your schedules."

Miya didn't respond as she made her way to the first empty seat she could. She was already bored and, truthfully, she still found herself pouting that she even had to attend this school to begin with. Miya had never attended a day of school in her entire life – why was she suddenly expected to now?

Change did not suit her. But it was either this or drop out and if she had any hope of moving out of the Tsukino estate with her younger sister, she would need a degree to get a decent job.

Her eyes rolled around the classroom, thinking there might be one face she recognized, when her gaze stopped. A boy with white hair and black roots was staring directly at her and she blinked, irritably. Normally, when someone catches you looking at them, they look away – but not this boy. He kept staring. Miya's brow furrowed as she stared back at him and she felt her blood boiling for some reason.

Miya couldn't quite put her finger on it. Whoever it was she was looking at seemed to be familiar. But she's quite positive she would recall the name of a young boy with white and black hair.

After what felt like a lifetime, the bell rang. Class was dismissed. Miya let out a breath of relief as she grabbed her backpack, trying to escape the classroom as fast as she could. Truthfully, she planned on skipping next class, whatever that class may be. All the other students scrambled close together towards the door, trying to exit. Not wanting to accidently nudge someone too closely and transform, she held towards the back.

She thought she was the last one out as she made her way into the hallway when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.

Almost on instinct, Miya shoved herself away from the hand and ended up pushing herself into a locker. It wasn't out of anger – she was terribly paranoid for turning; although, the pain in her back brought back the throbbing of the vain in her forehead. She flinched, annoyed, and suddenly found herself face-to-face with the white-haired boy with the black roots.

"What the hell?" she asked, annoyed, straightening her backpack.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the boy said calmly. Miya rolled her eyes. "Your surname is Tsukino?"

"Who wants to know?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"My name is Hatsuharu Soma. I was mainly curious. The name sounded familiar." Hatsuharu was never a great liar but had to improvise this on the spot. In hindsight, he shouldn't have asked as if he knew her already. Came off a little suspicious.

"Yeah, yeah, I know all about that stupid Usagi Tsukino and the 'champion of justice' crap," Miya grumbled in a mocking tone and making best impression of the most annoying anime character to ever grace the planet. If you were a Tsukino, you'd hate it, too.

"No, that's not what I meant," the boy said assuredly and calmly. "Listen, you're new to the school. Would you want to, I don't know, sit with me and my friends for lunch?" He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Arguably, Haru knew he had told Hatori he would have nothing to do with his little investigation. But given his accurate prediction of their arrival…Haru wasn't sure. It seemed important and his curiosity had found the better of him.

Miya narrowed her eyes and examined the boy before her. Behind the boy stood a group of girls whispering in pairs and learing in her direction. Once they noticed Miya looking at them, they retracted frantically to their group to gossip some more. Miya heaved a heavy sigh and frowned at the boy.

"No," she said abruptly. The boy looked taken aback and Miya promptly immediately turned around and started walking away from him and the group of girls, eagerly anticipating the smell of fresh air past the exit door. But it seemed the white-haired boy with the black roots had begun to follow her.

"No?" he asked. "Did I miss something?"

"No," Miya repeated calmly, and continued to walk. "Now, leave me alone."

She was used to this. Tsukinos had this effect on people. Sudden adoration for no apparent reason. They were all rather, unfortunately, fortunate-looking people. Another addition to their lovely curse. This time, the white-haired boy had made his way in front of her to prevent her from walking past, and Miya felt the vein in her forehead throb. Again.

"If I said something to offend you, I apologize, but-"

"Excuse me," a voice suddenly said. A chill seemed to run through the entire room as a boy with red and black hair walked towards the group with his hands in his pockets. "I believe the lady said to leave her alone."

"Ryuu, I've got this," Miya said, impatiently.

Haru blinked. Seems the two knew each other. Ryuu suddenly approached him very threateningly and put his nose inches from his. Girls in the background squealed. You see, not unlike the Soma family, Tsukinos had their own following – and Ryuu, in particular, had earned his bad-boy status long before Hatsuharu Soma had stepped into the building.

Ryuu was the silent but deadly type. And his cold, grey eyes could freeze water.

"Ryuu Tsukino," the boy suddenly said, introducing himself (and oddly polite, which weirdly sent chills up Haru's spine). Hatsuharu could feel Ryuu's breath on his nose causing him to take a small step back, smirking calmly.

"Hatsuharu Soma," he replied.

"Hatsuharu, in the future, know this," he said calmly. "I don't take lightly to people who bother my Miya – so, if you would be so kind. Beat it."

"Don't call me _your_ Miya," Miyako snapped angrily in the background. With her arms crossed, Miya turned on her heal and made her way, again, for the exit. The red and white-haired boy followed her, amused, leaving a perplexed Hatsuharu behind.

Hatsuharu was rather blind-sided by this interchange. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge but he managed to calm himself down rather quickly. It would take more than that to set his Dark Haru off. Still, the boy's tone was forceful and demanding and, he had to admit, he was taken aback by the sudden threat.

If the interchanges with this boy continued, he wouldn't too surprised to find Dark Haru surfacing in the near future.

"Fair enough," he said quietly to himself and simply watched the pair from afar.

Before Miyako could reach the door, as she had been intending to for quite some time, she felt two strong arms wrap around arms and waist, temporarily paralyzing her. And she felt the vein throbbing in her forehead once again.

"Ryuu, you better get your poisonous hands off me!" she yelled. She was not in the mood.

"Poisonous?" Ryuu asked with a demonic grin, not relinquishing his hold. "That's a new one." Ryuu snickered behind her as she continued to struggle to escape from his hold. Of course, her squirming only succeeded in strengthening his grip and Miya felt herself getting frustrated.

Before another word could be said, she lowered her body, thrust her arms up, and reached past her shoulder with her right hand to grab Ryuu's arm. With seemingly no effort, she pulled Ryuu up onto her back and flipped him forward, his back hitting the ground with a large 'thud'.

The girls in the background squealed in surprise and astonishment, whispering to their group if he was okay. Hatsuharu was still in the background..observing all of this. He watched the two with amusement. Such a strange pairing; however, they fit together quite nicely. He couldn't help but get the feeling they reminded him of a pair he knew, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who. Only that they seemed familiar.

Miya stood right above Ryuu's head, looking down at him with an irritated glance and her hands on her hips. Ryuu simply looked up with her with that twisted, crooked smile.

"Gotta say, I'm enjoying the view," he smirked, his gaze momentarily shifting from her eyes to her, well, privates. Another thing she hated about the academy: dresses. Miya rolled her eyes and took a step back, holding out her hand to help him up.

"Come on, tail boy," she said with a defeated sigh.

The two finally made their way out the exit towards a bench in the courtyard. There wasn't much talk for a while as Miya simply sat with her arms crossed. The best benefit from her and Ryuu's relationship was their ability to communicate without saying a single word. By simply just being there for each other. They've been best friends since they were in grade school and she owed him more than she'd say.

"Be careful with your temper here, Miya," he suddenly warned her.

"You're one to talk," Miya replied. "Himari tells me you get into fights every week."

"With guys," Ryuu said bluntly. Miya sighed.

"Relax," she said. "The bull's still asleep." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she uttered these words. He, of all people, should be able to tell the difference between her and the bull.

Oh, the bull. The perpetual symbol of the Taurus and, arguably, the bringer of doom. It was one of the reasons so many Tsukinos dreaded the birth of the Taurus. For it was all fun and games until the bull awakens and destroys everything in its path. And everyone.

"Yeah, for how long?" he replied. Miya felt the vein in her forehead. "You know, you're not exactly an expert on keeping it calm. You think you have it under control but I can see that vein in your forehead even now."

It throbbed even faster.

"Can we just…talk about something else?" she said abruptly. Ryuu shut up, defeated, but dropped the subject. She knew he only worried about her. In fact, she was sure nearly everyone at the Tsukino estate expected her to make a spectacle today, possibly including Ryuu. Hell, maybe that was what the head of the family had in mind in the first place.

Still, she was tired of the stereotype that she was this ticking time bomb, destined to explode and shatter anything its wake in a matter of minutes.

Ryuu suddenly let out a loud sigh and extended his arm, wrapping his hand around her tightly. She couldn't resist the urge to let out a soft smile. As the Scorpio of the Zodiac, their temperaments got along rather well. He was always the only person Miya generally got along with in the Zodiac. She loved her sister, but the two of them were so very different. And Chiyo was so young. Miya could be herself around Ryuu. Her violent temperaments never scared him as a child and, truthfully, probably only endeared her to him further.

While Miya had aggressive tendencies, Ryuu had a dark side that even she had never fully understood. His hair was half red and half black, similar to what his animal form appeared as. A red scorpion with a black stripe down his back. He received a lot of grief being the Scorpio. They were often known troublemakers and notoriously dishonorable and feared. Let's just say, if any of the Zodiac were a serial killer, it would be the Scorpio.

"So, are we skipping?" he asked with a grin.

"Is that a problem?" she laughed.

"Nope." He gave her a sly smirk and they both stood up, following the path away from the school.

They always had been rebels together. Each of them turned to the other whenever they found themselves struggling with anger. Ryuu became her punching bag whenever her bull awakened which helped her get a handle on her temper. Both of them were raised in the Tsukino estate and, without the other, they might not have gotten out alive. Or without killing someone.

Ryuu wasn't gentle with anyone in the Zodiac besides Miya. Miya, it seemed, was special.

"I saw those girls trailing behind you earlier," Miya said, mocking him only slightly. "Make any of them your sweetie yet?" Ryuu cackled.

"Please. They're terrified of me. You better watch yourself. You've got a right good reputation here already, now that they know you're related to me. A lot of people don't like me here."

Miya smirked.

"Who _does_ like you here?"

He laughed and shrugged. "You," he retorted.

"We'll see," she smirked, nudging his shoulder.

Ryuu being there with her at this new school made it just a little more tolerable; however, Ryuu wasn't in her grade. He was two years older than her and there weren't any other family members in her year – but at least she'd have his company sparingly.

They skipped the remainder of the day and simply wandered around town aimlessly instead, heading back to the Tsukino estate once it became time for school to end. It was an odd sort of friendship. They walked through the shops, hand in hand, without thinking anything of it. It was like an instinct the two of them had, as if they couldn't breathe if their hands didn't touch.

* * *

Major characters introduced:

Miyako, the Taurus (15);  
Chiyo, the Gemini (12);  
Ryuu,the Scorpio (17)

Next chapter, you will meet a new character whose identity will remain anonymous. You'll just have to read to find out (:


End file.
